Tire Talk - November 2004 - Professional Wheel Polishing

When Good Wheels Go Bad - The Ins and Outs of Professional Wheel Polishing

Nothing says "This is a custom truck" louder than polished wheels. Your truck could be in 10 shades of primer and it would still look good with a blingin' set of rims. If you pick up a set of new wheels, they're probably already polished. But what if they aren't? You break out the high-quality polish and get to rubbing. After a couple of hours and a few black fingers later, they're shiny again. But what if that's not enough?

Even with the best polish, it will be hard to get the wheels back to that newly polished look if they're badly oxidized, scratched, or in our case, suede, without a machine. Why, you ask? It's hard to generate the heat and friction that a machine can, even with your massive biceps.

We used Intro's Twisted Vista wheels on our Comp Cruizer buildup (Mar '04), and upon shipment, they were perfect. But after a few months, the elements started to take their toll. If you're not familiar with the Twisted Vistas, they feature a suede finish on the face of the spokes, which for show purposes is awesome. For a daily driver such as this truck, this area proved to be a real hassle to maintain, especially once we installed the AP high-performance brakes.

We took a trip to Al Reed Specialty Polishing and Wheel Repair in Placentia, California, to have the rims refurbished and also have this area shined up. Al specializes in high-end polishing of one-off parts and rare wheels, so we felt safe knowing our wheels were in good hands. Al has the ability to mount, dismount, balance, and even lay down some custom powdercoating in house. He even takes jobs through the mail: you send him the dull rims and they return shiny.

What the Heck Is Sisal?Sisal is the strong, tough fiber of the Agave plant - yes, we're talking about the tequila plant - and is found in Yucatan, Mexico. Sisal is formed into twisted strands, then woven into a coarse, heavy cloth. It feels like heavy twine or rope and is fairly abrasive when spun.